HP ze5170 to HP dv6500t

Hey, I am upgrading laptops and wondering if anyone knows how I can use Norton Ghost to throw my current XP Pro Installation (and software) onto my new laptop (HP dv6500t). The storage, processor, motherboard, heck everything is different, and I'm not sure if/how I can do this. Thx in advance.

 

the basic process is run sysprep on your system
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302577
Remove the syspreped drive from the computer
Remove the drive from the new computer

clone the syspreped drive to the new drive in a different machine

insert the new drive back in the new machine, boot and cross your fingers

You will need to re-activate

 

Thx, I have read about sysprep, but I am not hot on taking my laptops apart to switch drives. I wanted to use a software based solution which was non-invasive (i.e. ghost) and then maybe try to switch the HAL, and the storage controller during a repair installation (if possible). Anybody ever have any success with that method?

 

Well, that would be the proper way to do it.

You can try--TRY--this

Ghost the old laptop, then put that image using a ghost boot disk to the new drive. Now start the new computer with a windows xp disk in the new computer and make certain that it boots to the cd-rom drive first (if necessary, go into bios and make VERY CERTAIN the boot order is set to cd-rom first).

If you actually let your new computer start a boot on the old installation, you will hoarke up the installation, sometimes beyond repair (of course since this is an image, you can re-image it)

Now, run a repair installation on the new computer (again, key, before the new computer ever tries to load the new install) and this will sometimes--not always--get you to where you want to be

It greatly depends on how similar the hardware is

(and you will need to re-activate.

This of course also assume you have a windows xp disk and that it is the proper type (OEM install license travels with the old laptop, you cannot legally install that version on this new laptop)

 

Gerry, thanks you very much for your help. I understand that there are no warranties expressed or implied .

 

if you have an sata drive on the new machine, that is the biggest stumbling block...many new machines do not have floppies and that is the only way to get them on an xp machine

the trick that has worked for me once (but not another times) was to install the sata drivers on the old machine before creating the image so they are already there on the new machine